The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
CREATIVITY BEGINS FOR ARTS VENUE
Port hires Cleveland designer for next generation stage top at Black River Landing downtown
The Lorain Port and Financing Authority will hire a designer for a new top over the stage at Black River Landing.
The Port board voted 9-0 to begin working with Cleveland architect Robert Maschke on the plans for the next generation canopy.
“I’m excited about it because we’ve talked with Mr. Maschke a couple of times, he’s listened to us, he has very unique designs and he likes to repurpose things, so that the plan is to possibly repurpose the stage, utilize the facility at maybe a different angle, so I think when we look back at this two or three years from now when it’s completed, we’ll realize we made the right decision because of the uniqueness of what he has,” said Port board Chairman Brad Mullins.
The Port board has emphasized it wants Lorain to be a destination for people to come because of the next stage, Mullins said.
“We all want to have this ‘wow factor,’ iconic structure, that people drive over the bridge and turn their heads and say, ‘Wow’.” — Carl Nielsen, vice chair of the board
He and board members Carl Nielsen, Jon Veard Jr., Alan Zgonc, Tamika Bonilla, Vassie Scott, Matt Kusznir, Neil Sommers and Jeff Zellers agreed about the “wow factor” for the site.
Starting in May, the Port board had at least two presentations each from three firms interviewed for ideas on replacing the white fabric canopy first set up in 2003 at the Port’s waterfront festival site.
It has become a Lorain landmark and the board members agreed it has served Lorain well, but is approaching the end of its expected life.
The Port board heard from Lorain architect Gary Fischer, working with Mark Morris, principal and design leader of Clevelandbased DLR Group, and firm Project Manager Todd Mayher.
The other presenters were Lorain architect Ron Cocco of Clark & Post with consulting designers JKurtz Architects.
Any of them could have supplied the “wow factor” and the decision was not an easy one, said Neilsen, board vice chairman.
The board rated the firms with a scoring matrix developed by Executive Director Tom Brown.
“This is a work in progress. We all want to have this ‘wow factor,’ iconic structure, that people drive over the bridge and turn their heads and say, ‘Wow’,” Neilsen said. “I think all three firms could have done that.”
“They all had their own uniqueness to it and I just think when it came down to it the board voted as a whole to go with Maschke,” Mullins said.
The board’s Contract Committee met before the regular meeting to discuss the members’ responses to the firms.
The committee felt the company that could work
with the Port to get the biggest bang for the buck was Maschke, said Zellers, chairman of the Contract Committee.
Maschke’s fee for the preliminary design was $28,500, lower than the $43,000 price tag for Fischer and the DLR Group and $42,500 for Clark & Post.
Although a designer is on board, much remains to be done before there’s a new stage top on site.
The Port has set a working budget of $3 million for the stage.
The Port board and staff must raise the money for the project.
A proposal could come back with all the amenities the site needs for less than $3 million, Brown said.
Mullins suggested brainstorming about features and costs to expand in coming
years and Zgonc agreed. Based on the quality of
the project, if people and funders like it, the money
could follow, Zgonc said. The Port does not yet have a contractor and board members discussed when to bring on a builder.
Veard suggested getting a picture to work from and Zellers said he would like the board to consider Lorain-area contractors.
The board members and staff agreed they have a great relationship with Rockin’ on the River creators Bob and Sandy Earley.
They have a contract to continue operations into 2024 and the Port board members do not want pavilion construction to disrupt those shows.
A tentative schedule is for construction to happen after the 2022 summer season to be completed for spring 2023.
Even with Friday night summer concerts, Mullins said Black River Landing may be underutilized, so a new design could expand its seasonal use.
The same night as the board meeting, Heather Long, teacher of the Chamberlain School of Irish Dance, was on the stage with Irish dancer Becky Katricak and students Ava Cox, 6, and the siblings Nathalia Smith, 11, Daniel Smith, 8, Maura Smith, 5, and Olivia Konicek, 3.
The Lorain troupe uses the platform for summer practices on Wednesday nights but came out for an extra session Tuesday to prepare for a Friday show, Long said.
The stage top has sheltered the dancers from wind and rain.
Having a new one would be great, Long said. The group occasionally gets an audience of the evening walkers who stroll through Black River Landing, sometimes with their dogs.
The students take breaks to watch the nearby Charles Berry Bascule Bridge rise for passing freighters and sailboats.
“We come out here to enjoy the outdoors and enjoy all the scenery of the Black River,” Long said. “It has a serenity here, so it’s like, why not?”